Mother Of Western Psych Shooter Gives Deposition In Lawsuit

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The mother of the Western Psych shooter is being sued by several victims after they say she failed to commit her son.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Susan Shick, mother of John Schick who shot six people at the clinic, is being sued by victims who say she knew her schizophrenic son was dangerous and failed to have her son involuntarily committed.

Police John Schick shot six people — killing one – and was killed by responding officers March 8, 2012.

Now in a deposition, the Post-Gazette says Susan Shick says she believed the only way her son could be helped was if he believed he need the help himself.

The deposition also outlines various email conversations between John Schick and his parents, ranging from seemingly mundane topics like feeling clammy and noticing pimples on his face, to more hostile exchanges where he demands money from them, the Post-Gazette reports.

The newspaper also reports that the day before the shootings, Shick emailed his parents calling them murders, accusing them of stealing $3,000 from him and saying that UPMC employees would shoot him in the head.

At the time of the shooting, Susan and Laurence Shick were sailing in the Caribbean.

Shick also requested a protective order for the deposition, but was denied one by the judge who said “the public has an important interest in observing the tragic event that is the subject of this litigation,” according to the newspaper.